Latest news on the X5
1. The surface of the X5 scroll wheel has been changed to a smooth rubber for the best appearance and friction.
2. The circuit board of the X5 is being modified to fine tune its sound.
3. The firmware will be much more stable than that used in the demo units at the launch event, but USB OTG and DSD support will be delayed until a coming firmware update.
4. The first units will be shipped out to China this Saturday and it is estimated that 2000 units will be shipped out within two weeks thereafter.

Latest news on the X5
1. The surface of the X5 scroll wheel has been changed to a smooth rubber for the best appearance and friction.
2. The circuit board of the X5 is being modified to fine tune its sound.
3. The firmware will be much more stable than that used in the demo units at the launch event, but USB OTG and DSD support will be delayed until a coming firmware update.
4. The first units will be shipped out to China this Saturday and it is estimated that 2000 units will be shipped out within two weeks thereafter.

I started out with a iRiver IHP-140 and I loved it to death. Then I got an iPod Classic with a 160 GB HD and a new love was born. I was fine with LAME V0 encoded mp3's and 30,000 songs. Then I grabbed an 80 gb iPod version 5.5 and rockboxed that so I could enjoy better sound. I did a side bit with a rockboxed Clip+ but that little thing was too annoying. I don't know why but I then bought another 160 GB Classic and hooked it up to a Fiio E7. I was really really pleased with that setup. Since I got my X3 and added 128GB of storage to it filled with FLAC only music I have not touched any of the iPods once. I don't even miss them. I was pretty convinced that LAME V0 was just fine but after a month with the X3 I know that I was kidding myself. Lossless is way more enjoyable. Now I can't wait to get an X5 and forget all about this X3 that I love. Just please please please nobody let me hear an AK120. It's not that I can't afford it it's just that I don't want to be that guy. I like Fiio.

A little question, for international customers, is it still 2014 March or the date changed a little bit? I am dieing to order it in Eu shop. I still look at other daps and all, look at them and try to see the overall best package for the best price/performance ratio. X5 is beating everybody. So here I am saving money and waiting till it is available in Eu.

I started out with a iRiver IHP-140 and I loved it to death. Then I got an iPod Classic with a 160 GB HD and a new love was born. I was fine with LAME V0 encoded mp3's and 30,000 songs. Then I grabbed an 80 gb iPod version 5.5 and rockboxed that so I could enjoy better sound. I did a side bit with a rockboxed Clip+ but that little thing was too annoying. I don't know why but I then bought another 160 GB Classic and hooked it up to a Fiio E7. I was really really pleased with that setup. Since I got my X3 and added 128GB of storage to it filled with FLAC only music I have not touched any of the iPods once. I don't even miss them. I was pretty convinced that LAME V0 was just fine but after a month with the X3 I know that I was kidding myself. Lossless is way more enjoyable. Now I can't wait to get an X5 and forget all about this X3 that I love. Just please please please nobody let me hear an AK120. It's not that I can't afford it it's just that I don't want to be that guy. I like Fiio.

you should actually try to give it a try though , just to get an idea of how it sounds and if its worth it. the best judge for gears is your ears anyway

Latest news on the X5
1. The surface of the X5 scroll wheel has been changed to a smooth rubber for the best appearance and friction.
2. The circuit board of the X5 is being modified to fine tune its sound.
3. The firmware will be much more stable than that used in the demo units at the launch event, but USB OTG and DSD support will be delayed until a coming firmware update.
4. The first units will be shipped out to China this Saturday and it is estimated that 2000 units will be shipped out within two weeks thereafter.

I hate to ask the obvious, but will it affect the "World Preview" tour?

Just please please please nobody let me hear an AK120. It's not that I can't afford it it's just that I don't want to be that guy. I like Fiio.

I had an opportunity to compare my X3 with an AK100 a few days ago: I listened to the exact same FLAC files on both devices (put my 32gb card into the AK100, and copies of the tracks were present on the X3s onboard memory), and listened on both my old favorite IEMs, the SE530s, and demoed the shop's best $2000 cans as well. Truthfully, I could not hear a significant difference between the two devices (well, any difference, to be honest).

So, my conclusion: the real difference was that for another five hundred dollars, what A&K offered me was a better UI and little more. (I'm sure some of you will disagree, and that's ok too; those with a keener sense of hearing may discern the SQ differences between the two - but I couldn't. You could say that the AK100 is a more "polished" device, design-wise, and if that is important to you, then it's a valid point) Is the improvement of UI worth five hundred dollars to me? No. I was happy to have had the experience of comparing the two, and found the touch screen interface far more user-friendly, but I came away from it without buying an A&K device. I would be remiss if I didn't also mention that the X3 has the bonus feature of a line out, something the A&K devices do not. That point also influenced my decision to not buy an AK100.

Will I graduate to an X5 this spring? That depends how comfortable I get with the X3 in the next few months. I've found the device kludgy and a trial to actually use; the UI is a compromise, mainly because FiiO chose to forgo the touch screen interface, relying instead on an older style of button navigation that many manufacturers eschew in this age. I realize the button interface was chosen to keep the cost down, but it isn't doing the device any favors, IMO. (If FiiO could give us a player that included a touch screen navigation interface, and do so for under $500 they would have my undivided attention, for certain.) I'm likely to wait till I read reviews of the X5 before I decide what I will do about choosing an upgrade. For now, I will work at training my brain to use the X3s awkward navigation as best I can, and see how I fare over an extended period.